


Journey Through The Clouds

by BookishFangirl14



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Airships, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Childhood friends to enemies to lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Futuristic, Sky Cities, Sky Pirates, for janurwby challenge, mild/occasional swearing, nora is the leader of a gang of pirates, so she's a bit ooc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29114841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookishFangirl14/pseuds/BookishFangirl14
Summary: In a futuristic world filled with floating cities and high-tech airships, Captain Nora Valkyrie is the leader of the Tyrim; a rebellious gang of pirates who'll defy the Union―the ruling governmental organization who seek order and law―at any cost. But after losing her entire crew and discovering dark Union plans, Nora sets off on a dangerous adventure from city to city, with the help of an old friend, to stop the Union's plans and defeat them once and for all.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long (implied), Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 29
Kudos: 29





	1. The Captain's Daughter (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> A story I'm writing for the Janurwby collab event. I worked with @aliflower on Tumblr, who has drawn some AMAZING stuff to go along with this fic. This chapter is a childhood prologue from Nora's perspective; expect chapter 2 very soon! I've put a lot of work and love into this story, and I'm hoping it'll be a fairly long one. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and happy reading!

“You’ll never catch me!” Nora called from atop the ship’s foremast, balancing herself as she used a rope to swing to the next mast, the wind ruffling her bright red hair.

“If I won't ever catch you, why am I so close?” Ren retorted, only steps behind.

“Be careful, you two!” called Nora’s mother from the deck below, shaking her head at the two children.

Nora ignored her mother’s advice and made a risky jump after sliding halfway down the mast. Thankfully, she landed on her feet, but she could feel her mother’s disapproving glare from behind her. Nora sighed, and kept running; Ren was catching up. 

She knew her mother didn’t like her and Ren running and playing around the airship, especially in the middle of such an important voyage, but, as the only kids living aboard the  _ Magnhild,  _ they had to find  _ some  _ way to have fun. 

Nora dashed around the large deck, avoiding cargo boxes and irritated crew members. 

Ren called from behind; “I gotcha!”

He reached out to tag her, but Nora dodged his arms. Ren lost his balance and fell.

“You’re no match for me, Union soldier!” she said smugly, aiming her toy pistol at Ren’s heart.

“We’ll have to see about that, pirate scum,” Ren got back off of the ground, his fists raised. 

Nora smirked. “Bring it on.”

The two friends began to pretend spar, dodging very uncoordinated kicks and punches. They were both laughing as they fought. Eventually Nora managed to get Ren in a headlock, and he pretended to gasp for air.

“Please, please, let me go!” he cried dramatically.

Nora smiled innocently. “And why would I do that?”

“Because. . .” he said. “Because I have top-secret Union secrets!”

“Hmmm,” Nora considered. “Nah, I already have a  _ hundred  _ spies inside the Union who probably know all of those secrets already.”

And with that, Nora drew her toy pistol once more, and shot the Union soldier.

Ren moaned in pain, clutching the spot where the foam dart had hit him. “No, noooooo!”

“Aaand now you’re dead!” Nora chirped. 

Ren sat up. “Can it be  _ my  _ turn to be the pirate? Being the Union soldier is no fun.”

“ _ Or _ , how about you stop making a mess of my ship and take a break?” Nora’s mother said as she walked over to the kids. She gave them a stern glare, but there was laughter in her turquoise-coloured eyes. “The navigators are trying to focus; with these winds it’s very easy to lose our course, and all of your fuss isn’t making it any easier.”

“Sorry, Mama,” Nora said.

“Yeah, we’re sorry.” Ren added.

Her mother smiled while shaking her head. “No you’re not. You guys are only nine―”

“I’m nine and a  _ half, _ ” Nora corrected.

Her mother only rolled her eyes. “Right, nine and a  _ half _ . You’re supposed to play, to have fun. Trust me, there won’t be a lot of time for that when you’re older. But you both know how important this mission is to the crew, right?”

Both kids nodded.

“Right. We can’t let anything get in the way of us getting to Vale. So how about you two head down to the galley, it’s getting close to dinnertime anyways, and I’m sure Malachite can whip something up for ya.”

Nora sighed. “Okay. C’mon Ren!” she took her friend’s hand and they went below deck, past the crew quarters and the mechanics room until they reached the galley. 

The  _ Magnhild _ ’s cook was busy stirring a pot of something on the stove. She turned around to see Nora and Ren.

“Well, if it isn’t the little rascals,” Miss Malachite said with a chuckle. “Here to say hi?”

“Of course,” Ren replied. “.....and also because we’re hungry.”

Miss Malachite scoffed, mumbling something about how everyone always needs something from her. 

“You’re hungry, eh?” she gruffed. “Good thing I’ve just finished this stew.” Malachite grabbed two bowls from the cabinet, and began ladling the stew. Once she poured two generous portions, she slid the bowls over the counter to where Ren and Nora were waiting eagerly. 

“Eat up, rascals,”

Nora poked at the stew with her spoon. “Cabbage and potatoes,  _ again _ ?”

“Well, what else do ya want? We ain’t got many vegetables left!”

Nora sighed, and began slurping down the stew.

“Don’t worry, once we land on Vale, we’ll stock up again.” Malachite reassured her. 

“Ooo, will we get more tea?” Ren asked. 

“And flour for pancakes?”

Miss Malachite chuckled. “Once we sell that cargo, we’ll have enough credits for all of that and more.”

The children cheered. 

“Now finish your stew; it’s getting cold.”

Nora listened, and finished the last spoonfuls of her meal. She was so sick of boiled cabbage and mushy potatoes, but Miss Malachite could work wonders with a little bit of salt and spices. 

Just then, Nora’s mother entered the galley with panic across her face. 

“Mama, what is it?”

Her mother crouched down and looked her daughter in the eye. “Nora. Ren. Go to your quarters, lock the door, and stay there until I say otherwise. Do you understand?”

“Wait, what? Why? What’s happening―” 

“It’s going to be alright, my darling. I just need you to listen to me, okay?”

Nora felt her eyes well up with tears. “Mama, what’s going on?”

Her mother sighed. “Nothing, dear. But you have to go.  _ Now _ .” she pulled both kids into a hug. “If anything happens, know that you two are the reason I keep fighting.”

“Mama? Mama no! What’s gonna happen? I’m scared―” Nora wailed as Miss Malachite ushered them out of the door.

“You heard your mother, Nora, go to your quarters!” 

As Ren and Nora walked away from the galley, she could hear Malachite say; “ _ Captain Valkyrie, are they here? _ ”

Her mother’s voice answered; “ _ Yes; we’ll hold them off for as long as we can, but we need to make sure they don’t get ahold of the cargo, _ ” 

Nora stopped walking, tears rolling down her cheeks. Ren grabbed her hand, and led her to the crew quarters, her feet shuffling against the wooden floors. “C’mon Nora, we need to go,”

They finally arrived at the room they shared; a small white cabin with just enough space for two bunks, a small desk and some drawers. 

They stepped inside, and Ren obediently locked the door. Nora plopped on the bottom bunk bed, fidgeting with her hands.

“What do you think is going on out there?” she asked, her voice weak.

“I don’t know,” Ren said, grabbing the holoscreen they shared to play a game, “Maybe another gang of pirates are attacking us?”

“Hmmm, or maybe it’s the  _ Union _ !”

Ren gulped. “You think so?”

Nora shrugged. “It could be; I’ve never seen my mom so worried before,” 

All of a sudden the ship shook, so intensely that the picture frame atop the drawer fell and broke, shards of the glass frame shattering on the floor.

Nora screamed, leaping back from the broken glass. Ren shushed her.

“I know, I’m sorry. . .”

“It’s ok,” Ren bent down to pick up the image that had fallen out of the frame. It was a photo of Nora and Ren at age 6, grinning at the camera with their arms around each other. That had been at a small port close to Mistral, where they went to restock. Nora remembered her mother had treated them both to ice pops that day because they had been so quiet when the airship was refuelling. 

“I remember that day,” Ren said. Nora nodded in agreement. 

Silence hung in the air, the only sound was the soft  _ whirr _ of the propellers that could be heard throughout the airship. Neither said a word for a while; Nora’s brain was too preoccupied with what her mother had said to them. 

“What if. . .” Nora started. “What if we  _ are _ under attack by the Union? What if we get captured and put in prison? What if they torture and starve us??”

“None of that is going to happen; Captain Valkyrie said not to worry, and that everything would be okay” Ren said.

Just then Nora heard gunshots and screams from above deck.

“She said that so we wouldn’t be scared, idiot! She didn’t  _ mean _ it.” Nora stood up, being sure not to step on the sharp glass. “We need to help them; we can’t let the Union take us, or our ship.”

Ren looked at her as if she was crazy “You’re kidding. Your mom  _ clearly _ told us to stay here. It’s too dangerous to go up there, and besides, the rest of the crew can fight them off. We’re just kids, Nora.”

“Ren, we live with  _ pirates _ . I think we’re capable of fighting a few Union officers.”

“You mean the trained-for-years-by-the-military soldiers?” Ren scoffed.

“It might not even  _ be _ the Union. For all we know, it could be a small gang of criminals or something who’ve come to rob us. We’ve dealt with that stuff before.”

“No, your mom and her crew has,”

“And that’s why we need to help them! C’mon Ren, it’ll be like those adventure holovids we watch, we can save the day!”

“Nora, I really think we should just stay in our room―”

“The crew has probably already gotten rid of whoever’s here, let’s just go above deck for a second, I just  _ need _ to know what’s out there.”

Ren shook his head firmly.

Nora did her best puppy-dog eyes. “ _ Pleeeease _ ? I did your chores for you last week.”

“But we could get really hurt, I don’t think we should.”

“So, who cares if we get a few scratches or scars? It makes for great stories!”

“Ugh, fine. We go above deck for a minute, we don’t fight  _ anyone _ , or let anyone see us, and then we come back down here.”

“And no one will even know we left.” Nora said confidently.

The two left the room and crept through the usually-busy corridors, which were now completely empty. The ship rumbled and shook and the sounds of screams and yells got louder the closer they got to the deck. A tiny part of Nora doubted if this was a good idea after all, but they were almost at the top, anyways.

They got in the elevator, and Nora pressed the button that would take them above deck. The doors opened, and Nora didn’t think she had ever seen a more horrific sight:

It  _ was _ the Union; she could tell by their trademark gray-and-blue armor and expensive-looking weapons. There were around twenty soldiers, who had landed their ship on the  _ Magnhild _ ’s foredeck. They were fighting the crew members that Nora had known all of her life, and it was a bloody battle. Gunshots went off on both sides, and swords and daggers were drawn. Nora spotted her mother with her knife to the throat of one of the soldiers, dried blood in her long red braid, determination in her expression. The once peaceful deck that Ren and Nora had played on only hours ago had turned into a battlefield.

Nora had been too shocked by the scene to realize her and Ren were still standing frozen in the elevator entry. She jumped out of her trance, and took Ren’s hand. “We need to hide!”

They ran to one of the cargo boxes and hid behind it. It was only after reading the label that Nora realized they were hiding behind boxes of explosives.

She pointed it out to Ren. “We can’t stay behind here, not with all of the shots going off,”

Ren nodded. They needed to get out of here.

Both kids turned towards the elevator, only to find a Union soldier already there, jamming the buttons and trying to open the door.  _ They’re trying to get below deck, to find the cargo Mama keeps talking about _ . 

The soldier turned around.

“ _ Duck! _ ” Ren hissed.

They did, but the soldier must’ve heard Ren, because they began walking over to the boxes that the kids were hiding behind.

“Go, go,  _ go _ !” Nora whispered. Ren and Nora began running, past the elevator, away from the fighting, to the back of the ship.

Shocked that she was still alive, Nora let out a laugh. “That was close!”

“Hey!” came a gruff voice. “Who’s there?”

_ Dammit _ . The soldier must’ve followed them. Nora and Ren exchanged glances. They knew what the other was thinking;  _ Don’t. Make. A. Sound. _

Despite their efforts, the soldier suddenly jumped around the corner. Both of them screamed. 

He pointed his gun at them. “What do we have here? Kids? In the Tyrim? You gotta be kidding me.” 

“P-please don’t hurt us,” Nora whimpered.

“Oh no, I won’t hurt you, just tell me where the holoscreen chip is, and I’ll leave you alone.” he offered.

Nora was confused. “What holoscreen chip?”

The soldier scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. Where is she hiding it?”

“I. . . I don’t know what you’re talking about”

There was a familiar  _ click _ from the soldier’s gun, meaning he set it to kill mode. Nora stood frozen. 

“Get away from them!” came a voice from behind. Nora looked out of the corner of her eye to see the crew’s medical officer, Fria, standing behind them, pointing her blaster at the officer threatening the children. 

Fria let out an angry half-chuckle. “Too cowardly to fight us head on like the rest of them, so instead you decide to threaten a few kids?”

The soldier didn’t say anything, uncertainty creeping into his face. But he held the gun firmly.

Fria clicked her gun into kill mode as well, stepping in front of Ren and Nora. “You have five seconds to leave these kids alone before I shoot you.”

“What’s to say I don’t shoot them first?” the officer challenged. 

“Do you  _ really  _ want to make that bet?”

Neither Fria nor the soldier backed down, both guns pointed at the other. Nora could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. Ren squeezed his shaking hand in hers. 

The dreadful silence went on, the only sounds were the distant cries of pain from the fighting. Nora felt as if it would never end

What happened next, Nora watched as if in slow-motion:

All of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, the soldier pulled the blaster’s trigger.

A loud shot went off, the sound screaming in Nora’s eardrums.

She heard the thud of a body on the floor.

Fria became enraged, firing at the soldier. 

_ BOOM! _

_ BOOM! _

_ BOOM! _

He crumpled to the floor, moaning in pain. 

Nora turned to look at the fallen body beside her.

It was as if an ocean of pain had drowned her. She could not think. She could not breathe.

Beside her lay the body of a boy she knew so well.

The boy who stayed up late to tell her stories when she couldn’t fall asleep.

The boy who let her finish his meals when he saw she was still hungry.

The boy who kept her company during the long nights when her mother was out on raids or robberies.

The boy who she had known practically her whole life.

Her best friend.

Her brother.

Ren’s body lay on the bloodied ground next to her. 

Nora was so overwhelmed with pain that she couldn’t utter a word. She didn’t scream. She didn’t wail and cry and beg for him to wake up.

She was only silent as she crouched beside him. Ren stared up at her with panicked eyes. He looked down at his abdomen, where blood seeped from the nasty bullethole in his stomach. He whimpered.

Nora finally managed to say something. “It’s ok, Ren. I. . . I can fix this. ‘We’re gonna fix this. Fria can help you, I’m sure, you’re gonna be okay―”

“Nora,” Fria said softly. Nora’s eyes darted to the medic. “I’m not sure he will be,” 

“No. . .” Nora murmured. “No, he will be okay. He  _ has  _ to be. He has to!”

“Calm down, dear,” Fria tried.

“ _ No!  _ Don’t tell me to calm down, you need to be helping him―Ren, can you stand up? We can get him to the medbay―”

“Nora?” Ren croaked. She looked at him.

“Ren! I’m so sorry, this is my fault; we should’ve just stayed in our room like you said, oh, why didn’t I listen to you? I’m so stupid. This is all my fault.”

“Nora,” Ren repeated.

Tears rolled down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away. She was shaking uncontrollably, she felt sick. But after taking a deep breath, she said. “Yes? What is it?”

Ren moaned in pain.

“Ren!” she said again, more panicked, “Ren, what is it?”

“You have to go. You can still get out of here.”

Her face was twisted with agony. “Are you serious? No, I’m not leaving you, or my mom, or our ship. This is our  _ home _ , Ren!”

“He’s right, Nora.” Fria said.

“How can you  _ say _ that?”

“Get to the hangar, take one of the carrier ships and get the hell out of here. Find somewhere safe. Don’t worry about Ren, I’ll take care of him. We’ll come for you, we’ll find you, don’t you worry. The Tyrim has more power than you think.”

“No. . . no, I can’t leave him.  _ Please _ .”

“I’m trying to do what’s best for you, kid. He’ll be alright, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that,”

Fria paused, thinking. “Then I promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure he will live. Now go, before more soldiers come over here.”

Nora took one last look at her best friend. Despite his agony, he managed a smile, and one last word:

“ _ Go, _ ”

So she did. She ran, she ran far away from the screams and the sadness, back down the elevator, through the hallways, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She arrived at the landing bay, gasping for air and chilled to the bone, despite the warm air outside. 

Looking back years later, she wouldn’t remember running to the nearest cruiser ship. She wouldn’t remember pressing the button that opened the hatch, or stepping inside. She wouldn’t remember switching the power on on the control panel, or prepping the engines and propellers for takeoff. She wouldn’t remember the soldiers behind her, who had begun firing openly at the ship she was in. She wouldn’t remember the red flashing lights and alarm that signaled the airship had taken damage. She wouldn’t remember setting coordinates and putting the ship on autopilot mode. She wouldn’t remember steering the ship out of the landing bay, and into the sky. 

But she did remember looking back at the  _ Magnhild _ , the airship she had lived on for her whole life. She remembered touching her hand to the cold glass of one of the windows, as she left her whole world behind.

And she remembered what came next.

The  _ Magnhild _ exploded. A fiery storm of fury that splintered the ship into a million pieces. A beautiful catastrophe.

No.

_ No _ .

_ NO!! _

Nora screamed. She screamed and yelled and cried and let out everything she had been holding in. Everyone she had ever known, ever loved, blown apart before her eyes. The entirety of the Tyrim, gone and dead. Her mother.  _ Ren _ .

She had lost  _ everything _ .

Nora kept screaming. She yelled at the world for taking it all away from her. She wailed and shrieked until her throat hurt, her voice became hoarse. 

She went on and on until she tasted blood in her mouth, until she lost her voice entirely. 

Then all she could do was cry.

So she did, and was silent as the tears flooded down her face, as she let out sob after sob. She curled up on the floor, and wondered how she could ever go on living. 

And after hours of numbness, a single thought floated into her mind:

_ This is all because of the Union _ . 


	2. A Union Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Valkyrie discovers spies among her crew.

“Three hundred, or nothing.” The man gruffed.

Nora took another swig of her Vacuan whiskey, and gave the man a hard stare. “We’re offering you two dozen military-grade high-impact blasters, so I’m gonna need more than a couple hundred credits.”

“Fine. Four hundred.”

Nora slammed her fist on the counter with an irritated laugh. “One thousand, or I’m leaving.”

“You’re kidding,” The man said. “We both know those blasters aren’t worth  _ half _ of that.”

“Listen, you aren’t the only criminal looking to buy high-class weaponry, so either pay the credits, or we leave.”

The man looked to his companion, who simply shrugged. He sighed.

“Fine,” he slapped a handful of credits on the counter. 

Nora picked them up, and handed them to Blake, who was standing on her right. She held the credits up to the light, and gave them back to Nora once she had made sure they were legit. 

“If you want to collect your purchase, you know where to find us. It was nice doing business with you.” And with that, she nodded at Blake and Weiss, who followed her as she got up, and made her way out of the bar, avoiding spilt beverages and wasted customers.

She heard a drunken man whistle in her direction. Nora whipped around, grabbed a spare butter knife off the table, and flung it at him. The blade went through the fabric of his jacket, pinning him to the wall. 

Weiss opened the bar door, and the three of them walked out into the crowded city streets.

Once they had walked far enough away from the bar they’d been in, Nora said; “I’ve never seen a finer pair of idiots; those dumbasses gave us the money without even knowing if we  _ had _ the weapons.”

“They must be new to this,” Blake added. 

They continued to walk through Vacuo’s streets and alleyways, heads held low and eyes on lookout for threats. Nora felt the weight of the hidden blaster at her hip, her swords against her back. 

Tall apartment buildings and shops lined the streets, screens advertising cheap rip offs of well-known products hung from large signs, airships in all shapes and sizes flew overhead in the grayish sky, and shady-looking people with most likely less-than-legal intentions wandered the dirt-filled paths.

Vacuo was one of the poorer sky cities with quite a. . . reputation. A great place to dock and refuel, or engage in illegal weapons dealings without the Union all up in your ass.

Nora felt her comm vibrate in her jacket pocket. She picked it up; it was Ruby. She answered; “Did you get what we need?”

“ _ Yes, but Penny and I might’ve run into a problem,”  _ Ruby said over comms.

“What kind of problem??” Nora asked, irritated.

“ _ A Union problem. _ ”

She swore aloud. “You’re kidding. What the hell did you do, Rose? You had one job―”

“ _ How mad would you be if I told you that we found Union soldiers in the Tyrim?” _

Nora was too stunned to say anything. When Weiss noticed she had stopped walking, she gave her the ‘ _ what happened? _ ‘ look. Eventually Nora managed;

“What. The fuck, Rose.”

“ _ Yeah, so, remember when we picked up those two ex gang members a couple weeks back? _ ”

“No. . . I don’t.”

“ _ Anyways, they were so eager to join that we let them, but just as deckhands―” _

“Do you mean to tell me that you let two strangers into my crew, without running a background check or, I don’t know, my  _ authorization _ ??”

“ _ We did do a background check; all of their claims checked out. And I didn’t think to let you know because at the time you had more important matters to deal with. Besides, we needed the extra help with maintenance _ ―”

“Ruby. You let two strangers into the Tyrim, without my permission, and they turn out to be Union spies???”

“ _ Yes, I know, I’m sorry. But at least we caught them; they’re in a holding cell right now. _ ”

“I don’t have time for this right now. We’ll talk once we’re back on the  _ Magnhild Ⅱ.” _

“ _ Oh. . .okay. Really sor _ ―”

Nora ended the call before Ruby could finish. 

“What was it?” Blake asked as they turned a street corner, getting nearer to where the  _ Magnhild Ⅱ _ was docked.

“There were Union spies living on my goddamn ship for  _ weeks _ , and Ruby  _ just _ told me.”

“Union spies?” Weiss asked, “How? Who?”

“She said they had hired a couple of deckhands a few weeks back, but turned out they were just there for info on the Tyrim.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Blake muttered.

Nora sighed. “I wish I was,”

They continued to walk through the city, eventually reaching a wooden dock that their ship was tethered to. The  _ Magnhild Ⅱ _ was named after the old Tyrim mothership that had been destroyed in the explosion all those years ago. It was a decent airship, with propellers on each side and a large envelope on top to keep the ship in the air. The hull was made of firm metal with a wooden deck, and was big enough to house a crew of around 50 people, not to mention room for storage and a landing bay that would fit all of the small carriers, cruisers and fighter ships. 

It had taken years for Nora to afford a ship of this size, hell, it had taken her years to rebuild the Tyrim, recruiting new members, building a strong and loyal crew, and creating a reputation as―once again―one of the most powerful and fearsome crime syndicates in the world.

Crew members walked around, carrying and dropping off cargo and other supplies, deckhands cleaned railings, masts, and canons, and mechanics ran diagnostics on the propellers. They all turned Nora’s way as she, Weiss and Blake walked up the ramp and onto the deck.

Nora spotted her boatswain on the elevated foredeck. Ruby was talking to the head navigator, Penny Polendina. Just as Nora was about to confront Ruby, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She whirled around to see Weiss giving her a look. “Be easy on the kid, okay?” Weiss said, “She made a mistake; how could she’ve known that they were spies?”

Nora nodded at her first mate, and dismissed the two to go prep for launch. Then, she walked up to Ruby and Penny, who were smiling and laughing.

“Hey!” she snapped.

Ruby turned around, her expression changing once she saw who it was.

Nora scowled. “Captain’s quarters.  _ Now _ .” 

“Security detected a transmission coming from our ship to a Union cruiser. At first they thought it must be a mistake, but after running a second radar scan, the transmission was confirmed. I was alerted, and we figured there was someone contacting the Union from within the ship. They must’ve forgotten to jam their signal or something. It was pretty easy to trace the signal back to the mechanics room, where we found two of the deckhands on a call with a Union officer. They haven’t said anything yet, and they’re currently in our holding cell on Level 2.” Ruby told her once they were seated in Nora’s quarters; a room with a desk and two chairs, with doors leading to her bedroom and bathroom.

“How did we let this happen. . .” Nora murmured. “Who knows what info they have on us, or how much they’ve already told the Union?”

“This is my fault,” Ruby said, running a hand through her short, spiky hair. “I should’ve never hired them, I should’ve told you first―”

“It’s not your fault; there’s no way you could’ve known, they did a good job covering their tracks.”

“I’m sorry,”

Nora chuckled. Oh, how she hated that word. “Don’t apologize, just call Weiss down for me, okay?”

“Okay, I’m―” Ruby stood up, catching what she was about to say. “Okay.”

A few minutes later, Nora’s second-in-command arrived in her office; it was obvious she hadn’t been expecting anyone’s company; she had taken her jacket off, her knives weren’t on her person, and her hair was down. Weiss never wore her hair down.

“What is it?” Weiss grumbled, tying her long white hair up in a bun. 

“Relax, Schnee. Sorry I interrupted your beauty sleep.”

Weiss rolled her eyes at the tease. Nora knew how it annoyed her when she used her last name.

“What’re we gonna do about the spies?” Nora asked once Weiss had sat down.

“I don’t know,” Weiss said, biting her lower lip in thought. “trying to get them to talk hasn’t worked.”

“Well, I haven’t tried interrogating them yet,” Nora considered.

“Fair point. And if that doesn’t work?” 

Nora paused, thinking, “We get rid of them; they already know too much.”

“Alright.”

“Come with me,” Nora said, getting out of her chair, “I want to see if I can get any information out of the spies.”

“Sure, who needs sleep anyways?” Weiss mumbled, following Nora through the corridors.

As they entered the elevator that would take them to Level 2, Weiss said; “Did Ruby tell you about what happened today?”

“You mean with the spies?”

“No, I mean with her sister.”

Nora paused. “What do you mean?” 

“Nora, she saw Yang on patrol in Vacuo this morning.”

Nora made a scoffing noise. “And?”

“Don’t you think that would’ve been hard for her?”

“Why? Yang made her choice. She  _ chose  _ to leave the Tyrim, to leave her sister and her girlfri―”

“Yeah, but she was the only family Ruby had left. And then seeing her again after almost a year, now wearing the Union’s colours. . .”

“I know a thing or two about losing the people you love. She’ll get over it, she’ll move on. Ruby’s tougher than she looks.”

“I know she is,” Weiss said with a sigh. “I just. . . I worry for her, sometimes. She’s been through a lot.”

The elevator doors opened with a ‘ _ ding! _ ’ and the two stepped into the hallway. They walked until they reached the cells where the spies were being held. Two crew members; a tall, dark-skinned woman and a pale man with a scarred face, stood guard outside the doors. Nora gave them a quick nod, and the guards let her and Weiss through.

An energy shield covered the entrances of the two holding cells. Nora turned the shield on the first cell to transparent mode, so she could see the person inside.

Sitting on a chair inside, bloodied and bruised, was a man. He was young; he couldn’t have been older than 20, with shaggy blond hair, dark blue eyes, and peach-coloured skin. 

“I’m not talking,” he gruffed, looking up at Weiss and Nora.

“Not the first time I’ve heard that.” Nora responded.

“I’m not afraid of you; hurt me all you want, I won’t tell you anything.” the man insisted.

“Sure,” Nora said, “But how about we test that theory?”

She saw the man grimace, but he instantly hid it with a glare.

Weiss shut off the energy shield. Once they had walked into the cell, she turned it back on.

“What’s your name?” Weiss asked him.

“Cardin Winchester.”

Nora slapped him across his already bruised face. “You really think we wouldn’t check the Union database? Cardin Winchester isn’t the name of a Union officer. So we’ll ask you again;  _ what is your name? _ ”

The man stared hard at her. Nora stared, unblinking, right back. Her face remained cold and expressionless. “There’s no point in lying.”

He sighed. “Jaune Arc,”

“Now we’re getting somewhere. Let’s try something a bit harder; why are you here?”

The man said nothing.

Nora nodded at Weiss, and she walked up to the spy, fastening an electric shock collar around his neck. Nora pressed a button on the linked remote, and pulses of electricity hammered through the man’s body. He screamed in pain.

“Don’t make me ask again.” Nora warned over the noise of his cries.

“Fine!” he yelled. Nora pressed a button to stop the shock waves. He gave a small sigh of relief.

“I’m here for intel on the Tyrim.”

Nora scoffed. “No shit. What intel? And why now?”

“We were sent to find. . . vulnerabilities. Weaknesses in the system. Something we could use to get rid of the Tyrim for good.”

Weiss gave a laugh. “Well then your mission was bound to be a failure, anyways. The Tyrim has no weakness. That’s why the Union hasn’t defeated us, and they won’t.”

“We’ll see about that,” he murmured. Nora clicked the button again, and man’s agonized yells returned. The sight was horrifying; Nora knew that each pulse of electricity felt like a red-hot dagger searing through your flesh, like falling into a pool of a thousand needles, like corroding acid poured down your brain. The man screamed and wailed and made noises that didn’t even sound human.

Nora didn’t flinch. 

She finally pressed the stop button, the spy panting and gasping for air. 

“You want to know why you can’t beat us?” she yelled, her tone filled with rage. “Do you want to know why even if you try to kill every last one of us, even if you burn our ships and ruin lives and destroy everything, we’ll still come back?”

The man’s head hung low, in pain, or perhaps defeat. Nora gently tilted his chin up to meet her eyes.

“Because you  _ know _ the Union is corrupt. They say they’re here to help everyone, to keep our cities safe, yet the only people they’re ‘helping’ are the ones with money. With power. But everyone else? The poor and the struggling and the disprivileged? They don’t care for them. And why would they?

“So you know why you’ll never get rid of the Tyrim? Of rebels or criminals? Because there’ll always be people who know what’s right. People who see past all of your lies and broken promises, who’ll defy your unjust laws and keep fighting.”

_ People like my mother _ , Nora thought.

“Nora,” Weiss said. “You good?”

Nora realized all the things she’d just said to the lowly Union spy before her. She scoffed, “Forget it. He’s useless. But let’s make sure that no info gets back to the Union. Kill him.”

Weiss unholstered the gun at her hip, aiming at her target.

“Wait! Wait!” he cried desperately.

Weiss laughed. “I thought you weren’t going to tell us anything,”

“One last thing,” he said through panicked breaths. “The Union will prosper and bring peace to all, despite all evil―”

“Oh, for the love of―” Weiss said, irritated. 

She shot the spy right through the heart.

And after a few more pained cries, the man fell quiet, his shocked eyes still wide open.

Nora was still shaking from previous events. What happened? She never lost her temper like that, never said more than was necessary, especially to some Union soldier. This wasn’t her first interrogation. 

“Well, that was a waste of time,” Weiss sighed. “Onto the next, I guess. And then we’ll finally be done dealing with these damn spies.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure our recruiting process is more thorough in the future.” Nora said, noticing her friend’s tired expression. She was tired, and although this wasn’t Weiss’ first kill, Nora knew that it didn’t make it any easier.

“Hey, go rest.” she offered. “I can deal with the other spy. We’re gonna launch off Vacuo soon, anyways.”

“You sure?”

Nora nodded. 

“‘Okay, thanks,” Weiss squeezed her hand gently, and opened the energy barrier. They both walked out. Nora called for a clean-up crew over comms, who came to the room a few minutes later, draping a cloth respectfully over the body as they began to clean the cell.

After taking a breath to steady herself, Nora opened the barrier to the second cell. 

Hunched in a corner, head hung low, was a second man. 

“Here to kill me, too?” he murmured, not moving from his position. His voice had a strange accent to it, almost Mistralian, but different, in a way. It was a familiar-sounding voice as well, a voice Nora couldn’t quite place.

Nora stepped inside. “Not if I don’t have to. All I want is some answers.”

“I’m not giving you any.”

“I have my ways of extracting information.”

The spy lifted his head up, glaring at her with bright magenta eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I'm sorry I killed Jaune, it hurt me too. But hopefully you enjoyed nonetheless, and thanks for reading. I'll be posting the third chapter sometime this week, and as always, I love to hear your feedback and comments <3


	3. I Didn't Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora confronts a long-lost friend.

Nora gasped. She’d seen eyes like those before.

Only they’d belonged to a boy who had died the night the Union attacked.

Nora studied the rest of his face. Long, tangled black hair was tied up at the back of his head, his messy bangs covering most of his face. The pale skin of his face was dirtied and blemished, his mouth hung in a frown.

There was no way.

But Nora almost swore that this man looked exactly like. . .

“ _ Ren, _ ”

His expression softened. “Nora.”

_ What?? _

_ What.  _

_ The.  _

_ Actual.  _

_ Fuck. _

__ Nora rubbed her head. She must be hallucinating. Either that or she died. Because there was absolutely  _ no way _ that Lie Ren was standing in front of her.

“No. No, no. . . I-I watched him die. He’s dead. He’s gone. . .” Nora was vaguely aware that she was talking aloud. 

“Nora,”

Nora looked back at the spy, hoping that somehow his face had changed into someone else, to prove that this wasn’t real.

It hadn’t. Ren’s face still stared back at her. 

“I didn’t die.”

She felt the world spin. She was going to pass out. Her head was pounding and her heart nearly hammered its way out of her chest. 

“What?” she said, still in a state of disbelief. He continued to hold his gaze on her. Nora looked away.

“How.  _ How _ is that possible? I saw you get shot. I saw the ship explode. You’re supposed to be dead.”

“I escaped in a small cargo ship seconds before the bomb went off. I barely survived without food, water, not to mention the bullet wound in my gut. But I did.”

For a few seconds, Nora was too shocked to say anything. Ren was  _ alive _ . And right in front of her. A wave of emotions hit her in the chest so hard she felt like she was going to drown. 

Nora took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

“Ten years, Ren. For  _ ten fucking years _ I struggled with getting over your death. I put it behind me, I buried those feelings and memories deep down, so I would never have to feel or think them again. That day I lost  _ everything _ . And I swore I would avenge you and my mother, and all of the other crew members that died. I swore that your deaths wouldn’t go in vain. So for ten years, when I thought I had lost you forever, I fought against the Union in any way I could. I rebuilt the Tyrim, rebuilt my mother’s legacy. Just to find out you’ve been alive this whole damn time. And then you. . . you what? Joined the Union?? The same people that tried to  _ kill _ you?? And―and you  _ knew _ I was alive. You knew for all these years, and you didn’t even try to find me. To let me know that you weren’t dead, or  _ anything _ . Instead you came onto  _ my _ ship, snuck in with  _ my _ crew, just for info on us, for the goddamn Union.” she spat.

“Nora, the night they attacked, the Union did it because your mother’s crew was harboring a technology that could make the Union collapse. It would be anarchy and chaos throughout all of the sky cities, without any order or law. They had to sacrifice the lives of a few criminals to save millions more―”

“The  _ lives of a few criminals _ ???? My mother took you in when no one else would, she was the one who practically  _ raised _ you. You were family. How could you join the Union? After everything they did??”

“I managed to land on Mistral, but I had no money, no shelter, and I was badly injured. The Union was recruiting cadets to be trained for the military; if we passed the exam, they would provide us with food, shelter, medical care, and a military education. I didn’t really have any other options.”

“And you think I was any better off? No, but I didn’t need the Union’s charity so I could become one of their child soldiers. I survived on my own in the lower tiers of Mantle, by whatever means I could. Cowardice is never an option for me. But I guess it was for you.”

“Are you calling me a  _ coward _ ?” Ren asked. “I didn’t have a choice―”

“That’s not true.” Nora interrupted.

“So what, you’d rather I’d have died on the streets?”

_ What difference would it’ve made? _ Nora thought. 

She should shoot him. If he died, right now, then she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this ever again. She could finally let go of her past.

But she knew she couldn’t.

Because even if the person before her was a Union soldier, even if he was a spy and a traitor and a liar, even if he wasn’t the same boy he was ten years ago, he was still  _ Ren _ .

And as much as Nora didn’t want to admit it; deep down, she still cared about that person. 

“I. . .” Nora hesitated. “I can’t deal with this right now.” she slammed her fist on the button that turned off the energy shield, and walked out of the cell, leaving before Ren could say anything else.

Nora fast-walked through the halls, keeping her head down and trying to get to her quarters as fast as she could. The world was a blur; she half-remembered placing her hand on the bio-lock scanner outside the door, stepping inside, and dashing into her bedroom.

Nora's hands shook as she shrugged off her jacket, unlaced her boots. She stripped down to her tank top and trousers. Her breaths came too quick. She sat down on her mattress, hands gripping the bed frame tightly. She was still trying to process everything that had just happened. And the fact that Ren― _ Ren _ ―was sitting in a holding cell just a few floors below her. 

Nora hadn’t cried in a long, long time. She hated crying. Crying was a sign of weakness, of vulnerability. Crying meant you weren’t in control, and Nora hated not being in control. 

She would never cry in front of another crew member. In front of anyone. But there was no one around, she was alone in her bedroom.

Nora felt the familiar lump burning at the back of her throat, the tears starting to well up in her eyes. So for the first time in a long time, she them fall, let her guard down, she let herself cry.

Her tears came out in small, quiet sniffles, leaving her nose runny and streaks on her face. At one point Nora felt the familiar rumble of the airship undocking; they had left Vacuo, and were now in the sky. She sat there on her bed, unmoving, for hours, or maybe just minutes. She didn’t know, and didn’t care.

Nora was startled by the noise of her personal security system from the speaker on her dresser.  _ “Attention; one individual is outside your cabin,” _ the voice said. 

“Show me the hall cams,” Nora responded, wiping her tear-stained face.

The screen on the wall opposite her bed pulled up the live footage outside her door. Nora saw her chief engineer waiting outside.

“Access granted to individual.” Nora commanded the security system. She heard the click of the lock opening from the other room.

After composing herself; throwing a tunic on, stepping into her boots, and smoothing back the hair on the side of her head that wasn’t shaved, Nora opened her bedroom door, stepping into the sitting room.

“Captain?” Blake said.

“What is it?” she grumbled.

“You were supposed to deliver a briefing thirty minutes ago. I came up to see if everything was okay.”

Nora groaned. “Shit, that completely slipped my mind. Tell the strike team to reschedule for tomorrow.”

“I will. But are you sure you’re alright? It’s not like you to forget things.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. Just tired.” the captain responded with a sigh. “Anything else?”

“We launched off of Vacuo an hour or two ago. The navigation team is charting a course to Mantle. A squad’s going to meet on a small port off of the city to discuss sabotage plans with a couple of Union moles, and we can also do a supply run while we’re there.”

“Great. I should’ve been there to oversee the launch, sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Weiss did it instead.” Blake informed her.

Nora paused. “Oh,”

She didn’t know why she was surprised, Weiss was her second-in-command, after all. If anything were to happen to Nora, Weiss would take over. Perhaps she was just mad at herself for being so irresponsible; instead of doing her job, she spent hours moping and feeling sorry for herself.

There was a bit of awkward silence. Blake finally broke it with, “Well, I’ll be in the mess hall if you need me. Dinner should be served, so. . .”

“I’ll come with. Could use something to eat, anyways.”

“Oh, um, okay.” Blake said with a small smile. Nora followed her out the door, and they made their way to the third level of the ship.

They arrived at the mess hall, Nora opened the doors, and they walked in.

The mess hall was a large room with white walls and fluorescent lamps hanging from the high ceilings. It was packed with crew members on their break, eating at tables and booths, and lining up to receive their meals. People chatted and laughed, some jumping on tables and others singing badly, and loudly. Although alcohol wasn’t allowed until you were finished all of your shifts, that didn’t stop most people.

Crew members turned to watch Nora as she walked over to the line; they weren’t used to their captain eating in the mess hall. Nora usually preferred to eat in her quarters, or above deck. When it was her turn in line, Tock―one of the assistant cooks―handed Nora a bowl of turnip stew and grain, with a strip of dried meat and crackers on the side. Food on the  _ Magnhild Ⅱ _ wasn’t luxurious, but it was filling, and there was enough of it.

Nora walked across the room and sat at a table next to Weiss. 

“How’d the interrogation go?” Weiss asked, taking a bite of dried meat.

Nora hesitated with her answer. “Fine. The second wouldn’t tell us anything more, so I guess questioning them was a waste. But at least they’ve both been dealt with. No more spies on this ship.”

“So, you killed him?”

“I had to.” Nora said, lying to her closest friend.

Penny glanced at Ruby, who was sitting beside her, picking at her meal. “How about we play a game?” she suggested, noticing the somber mood.

“What game?” Blake asked, sitting down next to Ruby.

“Hmmm,” Penny thought. “How about a round of cards?”

“Sure,” Nora said, reaching for a deck of cards in her pocket; she’d forgotten to take it out from a few days before. “I’ll deal.”

Weiss eyed her carefully as Nora distributed the cards; she’d been known to cheat.

They were playing the traditional Mistralian game of Ghosts; once everyone had been dealt twelve of the red cards, the five of them began.

On Nora’s turn, she played a sun card, giving her immunity for the next round. Weiss countered it with a wild card, and used it to take Nora’s entire hand.

Nora cursed; she was out of the game. Weiss gave her a playful smirk.

After the first five rounds, there were only three players left; Penny, Weiss, and Blake. Weiss added another four credits to the bounty, seeming confident with her odds. Blake eyed her as she did, and then added six more credits herself.

“Damn, this is getting serious.” Ruby joked, finishing her last cracker.

Penny put down two power-ups, but then Weiss used a sun card. Blake dropped a moon card, which forced Penny to skip her turn.

Nora internally groaned. Why would Blake do that? Now Weiss could use an offensive card on her and get Blake out of the game.

Blake seemed to realize her mistake just as Weiss directed a downgrade card at her, rendering all of her cards useless.

“Dammit!” Blake grouched, returning her hand to the deck. It was only Weiss and Penny left now.

Penny hadn’t really made any offensive plays up until now, so Weiss assumed she was going to win. Oh, how wrong she was. Penny made a series of very calculated, and quite genius, attacks, killing every one of Weiss’ cards until she had none left.

“Aaaand Penny wins!” Ruby said.

Weiss watched, baffled, as Penny cheerfully collected the bounty.

“Wow, seventy-three credits, thanks guys! Good game everyone!” Penny said sweetly. Nora could only laugh.

“Wha―what? But, how―” Weiss stuttered.

“Damn Weiss, you got your ass  _ beat! _ ” Blake teased, playfully tapping her on the shoulder. Weiss brushed her off, pretending to be irritated.

“Not gonna lie, that was pretty sad to watch, Schnee.” Nora added. “Great job, though, Penny.”

“Thank you!” she replied.

“Another match?” Weiss offered, clearly still upset about her recent defeat.

Nora stood up, grabbing her now-empty tray. “You guys go on without me, I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Already?” Blake asked her. “It’s only 09:00.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long day.”

“Really, Valkyrie?” Weiss groaned. “C’mon, a couple more matches can’t hurt.”

“Are you  _ sure _ you’re okay?” Blake added.

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, you’ve been acting a little off.”

_ “I’m fine.” _ Nora huffed, irritated. “Really. All I need is a little rest.”

Weiss glanced at her skeptically. “. . . Okay. But you know you can talk to me, right?”

Nora squeezed her hand. “Yeah, of course. But really, stop worrying.”

“Fine, goodnight then.”

“Goodnight guys.” And with that, Nora left the table, tossed her tray into the cleaning pile, and exited the mess hall.

Nora glanced at her bedroom clock. It was almost 02:00 hours in the morning. Surely everyone was asleep by now, and besides, no one would question what their captain was doing, not out loud, anyway.

She had already manually disabled the security cameras and made it look like a simple glitch, so no one would suspect anything. She left her quarters and treaded silently through the halls. With every step closer she got to Level 2, the more she doubted why she was even doing this. But for some reason, she kept going. 

Eventually Nora reached the holding cells. There was no one guarding at this hour of night; no one could break through the energy barrier, anyways. She walked over to the third cell. And after taking a deep breath, she turned off the energy shield.

Ren looked up at her from his cot. It was still surprising to see him, to remember that he was actually alive.

“What. . .why are you here―”

“Get up.” Nora barked.

“What―”

_ “Up,”  _ she repeated. Ren jumped at the tone of her voice, and listened.

“You can go through the vents. At the first fork, turn left, then right, right, left, right. That should get you to the landing bay. The  _ Sparrow  _ is an old, stolen carrier ship; no one will notice if it’s gone. It’s a small, dark green thing, the one with the brown patch in the envelope. I hope the Union taught you how to jam your signals, because you don’t want to get picked up on our radar. And you have to move quickly, becau―”

“Wait,” Ren interrupted, “Are you helping me escape?”

“What do you think, idiot?”

“But. . .” he said. “Why?”

“Does it matter?” she snapped. “Now go, before I change my mind.”

“But I can give info about you to the Union―”

Nora scoffed. “You really are terrible at this, aren’t you? You didn’t think I already thought about that? You don’t  _ have  _ any intel on us, or else you wouldn’t be here right now.”

“But I’m a Union soldier―”

Nora groaned, wondering why she was doing this at all. “Can you just get out of here already?  _ Go _ . I’m this close to calling the guards back.”

Ren stood up, walking out of the cell. “Okay, okay,”

He pulled the grate off of the overhead vent, looking back at Nora before he climbed in. “Thank you,”

She gave a quick nod, not making eye contact.

Tears welled in Ren’s eyes. “I’ve missed you, I hope you know that.”

Nora felt a pang of emotions strike her in the chest. She pushed them down. “Whatever. Remember; left, right, right, left, right. And take the  _ Sparrow _ .”

“I got it,” he said with a small chuckle.

“Okay, then why are you still here?  _ Go. _ ”

With a slight smile, Ren hopped up into the air vents, putting the grate back on. Nora heard loud banging and clunking from the ceiling.

_ “Be quiet,” _ she hissed. The noises got fainter.

She sighed, closing the door, and walking back to her quarters. 

When she was back in her bedroom, Nora looked out her window just in time to see a small, rusty green airship zoom off into the night.

For the second time in her life, Nora thought that was the last she would ever see of Lie Ren.

And for the second time in her life, she was wrong about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowww, that chapter took way longer to write than it should've. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading! Chapter 4 is on it's way :)  
> (Also a huuuge thank you to everyone who's commented, your support means a lot! <3)


	4. Traitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora's crew discovers something that will change her life, but perhaps not for the better.

Nora awoke to the soft noises of the whirring propellers below the ship, and bright morning light seeping from her bedroom window. Her clock read 06:23, and even though it was still early, she knew she wasn’t going to get any more sleep. So she got out of bed, folded her sheets, and began to get ready. She scrubbed herself down with water and a soap bar, drying off with a towel. She changed out of her sleepwear and into a sleeveless tunic tucked into a pair of old cargo pants. After strapping hidden knives and daggers at her belt and in her boots, and putting her handgun in its holster, she shrugged on her favourite jacket; a long, black coat with bright blue detailing. She had lost one of the sleeves in a fight, though, leaving one of her tattooed arms exposed.

Once she had tied up her spiky red hair in a knot at the back of her head and ate a small meal of canned fruit, Nora left her quarters and took the elevators that would lead her above deck to the bridge. She wanted to check in on the navigation team; hopefully they had plotted a course that would get them to Mantle by now.

But when she placed her hand on the bioscanner to unlock the bridge’s door, she did not find navigators inside.

But instead, stood four of her most highest-ranking crew members. Ruby Rose, the boatswain. Penny Polendina, head navigator. Blake Belladonna, chief engineer. And Weiss Schnee, the captain’s second-in-command.

They were all hovering around a holoscreen, but the four jumped at Nora’s presence.

“What’s going on?” Nora asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. They all were giving her funny looks, almost as if they didn’t recognize their captain anymore.

Weiss sighed, and looked her right in the eye. “Nora, where were you last night?”

Nora was confused. “Last night? Wait, what do you mean? I was playing Ghosts with you guys, and then I went to bed.”

“Then who else had the authorization to open a holding cell minutes before a prisoner escaped?” Blake asked, almost sarcastically, but the sweetness was completely gone from her tone.

Nora’s heart seemed to sink into her stomach.  _ They knew. _

“I―I don’t know what you mean.”

Penny turned the holoscreen around so Nora could see. On it was footage of her leaving her cabin. The time stamp read;  _ 01:52 AM, 22/08/2134 _ . Then Nora going down to Level 2, at 1:58 AM. Then Nora entering the cells at 2:01 AM. And her exiting them at 2:10.

“You left your quarters in the middle of the night last night, and this morning we find out that a prisoner has escaped. The one you said you killed.” Weiss nearly spat.

Nora felt the blood drain from her face. “You. . . you shouldn’t be able to find that. I killed the cams, you shouldn’t―”

“After I was alerted that one of our small carriers had gone missing, and that the spy was still alive the night before, not dead like you said, I checked the security footage and noticed an abnormal glitch. It only took a bit of digging to find out it wasn’t the cameras malfunctioning, but someone who had hacked into the cameras and disabled them remotely. So I reversed the hack and restored the files, and then I found this.” Penny said, fidgeting with her hands in her lap, not making eye contact, looking quite uncomfortable as she spoke.

Nora sighed. “I know what it looks like, but I can explain, really―”

Weiss stood up, walking up to Nora and glaring hard at her, icy blue eyes filled with hurt. “Yes, please, explain to me why you snuck around in the middle of the night, to help a fucking  _ Union _ solder escape, with one of our ships. Tell me why you lied to our faces  _ multiple times _ , saying you just had to go to bed early. Saying that you were fine. Saying that you had  _ no idea _ what we were talking about. Tell me why you betrayed your entire crew, your friends, why you betrayed  _ me _ . So please, Nora, explain to me why you helped the people you’ve been fighting against your whole life, the thing we swore to bring down,  _ together _ .”

Every one of Weiss’ words felt like a dagger in Nora’s flesh. But what hurt the most is that everything Weiss had said was true.

“I. . .” Nora began, her mouth dry as sandpaper. Weiss waited for a response, muttering something about how it better be a good reason. 

Why  _ did _ she let Ren escape? Had she forgotten he was with the  _ Union _ ?? So what if they’d been friends as kids, that had been a long time ago. She didn’t even know him anymore, yet she still saved his life. Perhaps she wasn’t a worthy captain, after all. 

“I don’t know why I did it. But I’m so, so sorry.” was all she could manage.

A flicker of hurt and betrayal appeared in Weiss’ expression, but she immediately covered it with a scowl.

“I. . . I just don’t understand.” Ruby whispered. “How could you, Nora?”

The tears stung her eyes as they fell down Nora’s cheeks. She didn’t even bother to wipe them away “You don’t know how sorry I am. I let you down. All of you. I betrayed my crew and aided the enemy.”

“Yeah, you did. And you know what happens to traitors.” There was venom in Weiss’ voice.

“Wait, what? You mean―” 

“If the captain is ever to betray the crew, they are no longer worthy of the title. And no longer a member of the crew.” Blake recited.

“You’re kidding. You guys are―are gonna kick me out? Of my  _ own _ ship??”

“A captain’s power only comes from her followers, Nora. And you’ve done a marvelous job pissing us off.” Weiss said, deadpan.

“We’re sorry, Nora. But you betrayed the Tyrim.” Penny said.

“There wouldn’t  _ be _ a Tyrim without me!” Nora cried, “I built this crew from the ground up, you can’t just get rid of me―”

“Actually, we can. You’re to be disposed of in one hour.”

“ _ Disposed of?? _ You’re going to throw me off of my own ship. After everything I’ve done for the Tyrim, you’re going to kill me for one stupid mistake.”

“It wasn’t a mistake.” Weiss seethed.

Nora was too shocked for words to come out. Her closest friends, her own crewmates, were going to throw her off the ship. Furious was an understatement for how she felt. But it was mostly at herself, for being stupid enough to help Ren. For the second time in her life, she was going to lose everything. Because of him.

The next hour passed in a blur. Nora didn’t even bother to move from her chair on the bridge, until two crew members came and took her to the landing bay. She didn’t try to fight them, either, as they guided her through the halls. She looked to the one holding firmly onto her right arm, Sage Ayana. She remembered recruiting him a few years ago; his father had lost his shop because of the Union, and his family had all starved to death, except for him. Just like everyone else here, there was nothing he wanted more than to see the Union fall. She hadn’t interacted with Sage that much, but he was loyal, although mostly quiet. And now he was leading her to her death.

Anyone who was on their break had gathered to watch Nora’s execution. She stood silent as the guards dragged her up to a platform. Over the edge of it was open sky as far as she could see.

“Nora Valkyrie has betrayed the Tyrim, by assisting a Union prisoner in his escape. This traitor will no longer be our leader, and she will pay the price for her actions.” Blake said, voice expressionless.

The guard―Sage―held Nora by her jacket collar, so she hung over the edge of the platform. The wind blew the loose strands of hair around her face upwards. An endless gray sky waited below.

She spotted Weiss out of the corner of her vision. She turned her head to meet her friend’s eyes, hoping Weiss saw the sincerity of the apology in her expression. Weiss looked away.

The crowd of onlookers were dead silent, which was beyond a rarity for a gang of pirates. 

Nora held her breath as Weiss spoke. 

“Let her go.”

She felt the firm grip on her jacket release, and she fell off of the platform, off of the airship, and down towards the earth.

Nora was too in shock to scream. Her stomach ached, it felt like it was dropping before the rest of her body. The loud rush of wind screamed in her ears as her ship got smaller and smaller in the distance. 

She was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

And fast.

But once she thought she was far enough away from the ship, Nora pulled the trigger and the parachute she had been secretly wearing exploded above her, casting her in a blue light. She let out a sigh, as she gently floated in the air instead of plummeting down to earth. She wasn’t going to die, she wasn’t going to die, she wasn’t―

The familiar  _ ‘BOOM!” _ of a gunshot went off inches from Nora’s face. She screamed, and looked up at the giant hole in her parachute.

_ Shit. Shit. Shit.  _ They must’ve still been able to see the parachute, and shot her down. Nora once again began her plummeting towards earth, the blue plastic of the parachute breaking off into pieces above her.

Growing up on the  _ Magnhild _ , she had been told all sorts of tales about what it was really like on Earth. After all, it had been left uninhabited for almost one hundred years, after people started building cities high up in the sky.

Some said the earth had gotten so polluted that it was barely livable, or that all of the farmland was so unhealthy no crops could survive, leaving people starved and countries poor. Others said another species had taken over, something even humans couldn’t fight, so they left. Her mother liked to think that there were still people left on Earth, those who had found a way to survive despite humanity’s mistreatment of the land, and perhaps the rest of them didn’t really need to leave Earth and build a civilization in the sky, after all.

And now, Nora was seconds away from hitting the Earth’s surface; maybe if the impact of her hitting the ground at such an alarming speed didn’t kill her, she could find out what Earth was like for herself.

_ So this is it, _ she thought. This was how she was going to die.

Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, there were plenty of worse ways to end. Perhaps it would be quick; her body couldn’t possibly survive long after hitting the ground with such impact. . .

She took one last look at the open sky, sunlight filtering in through gray clouds, tiny black specks high above that were airships, the wind whipping at her back―

And then, pain. Lots of it.

Nora felt the air being knocked out of her chest as she hit a hard surface with a loud  _ thud _ , shooting sparks of pain up her spine. 

She panicked, taking in huge gulps of air. At the same time, her arm had landed at a very awkward angle, with her elbow twisted behind her. 

She almost screamed in agony at the burning ache in her left arm, but was too busy gasping for air to make any sound. It felt like she couldn’t get the oxygen in quick enough.

After a few minutes of panicking, she came to the realization that while she was in more pain than she’d ever been in her life, she was  _ alive _ . Somehow, miraculously, she hadn’t died. Nora opened her eyes and winced as she slowly sat up, her whole body fighting her as she did. She wanted to examine her new surroundings, to see what Earth was actually like. . .

She ran a hand over the material she had fallen on; it was smooth, and firm underneath, nothing like she thought soil would feel like, in fact it felt a lot like. . . Wait.

If Nora wasn’t still in a severe state of shock, she would’ve laughed. Because she was sitting on an airship’s envelope. Still very much in the sky.

Nora looked over the edge of the envelope, fingers digging into the smooth surface in an attempt to not fall off. 

Below she saw a large, white ship, sturdy rope attached from it’s roof to the envelope to keep it in the air. There was no deck, and hardly any windows. This was a cargo ship, operated by machines instead of a crew. It was currently headed in the opposite direction of the sun, and since sunrise had only been a few hours ago, the ship was going west. Looking at how big the ship was, it seemed that this load was headed towards a larger city. And the biggest cities in the west were. . . Atlas and Mantle. Depending on what type of cargo the ship was carrying, she could be heading to either of those cities.

Well, now there was nothing she could do but wait. She adjusted her position so that she wouldn’t slide off the top of the envelope, and her injured arm could rest.

Then, Nora closed her eyes with a sigh. She was so relieved to be alive that she almost forgot that she had lost her entire crew, her ship, and had made an enemy out of the pirates she had once led.

As she began to rest, Nora wondered what the hell she was going to do next, without any money, a few weapons, no shelter, and a ruined reputation. She felt like a child again, trying her hardest to survive with nothing, after seeing everyone she had loved killed before her eyes.

Well, she’d done it before.

She could do it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo sorry that took me so long to write. This chapter is pretty short compared to others, but I hope you enjoyed. I'll be getting chapter 5 up as soon as I can!


	5. Back On Mantle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No longer the Tyrim's leader, Nora tries to start a new life for herself, and avoid past enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took me a really long time to write. So sorry for the delay! Hopefully you enjoy, and chapter 6 will be up as soon as possible. As always, I love reading people's comments and feedback <3

_ Nora watched as the baker placed down another tray of bread on his booth’s table. Her mouth watered at the sight of the freshly-baked loaves; it felt like it had been forever since she had last ate. _

_ She continued to wait patiently, hidden behind trash cans, until the baker left the booth and walked back inside his shop, probably to bring out more baked goods. _

_ This was her chance. She dashed up to the stand, and when she thought none of the passersby were looking, she snatched a small grain bun and three powdered donuts. She stuffed them in her small plastic bag and dashed away from the bakery. _

_ “Hey, get back here!” came a gruff voice from behind her. Nora ignored it, jumping on top of a pile of crates in front of a building, and stepping on the windowsill of the second-story window to pull her onto the roof, bag of bread still in hand. She peered over the roof to see the baker still looking for her. _

_ “That kid’s a thief!” he yelled, loud enough for everyone else in the marketplace to hear. They looked around, but no one knew who he was talking about. _

_ “N―no. She stole from my shop. I swear, she was right here!” he insisted. Everyone went back to what they were doing, as the baker got more and more frustrated. _

_ Nora couldn’t help but giggle, biting into one of the donuts. The doughy, sugary pastry melted on her tongue, and in that moment it tasted like the most amazing thing she had ever eaten.  _

_ The first donut was finished within seconds, Nora licking the powdered sugar off of her fingers, not caring if they were filthy after weeks spent on the streets. She reached for a second, then realized she should probably ration her new haul of food. She still had a bun of bread and two more donuts, which could last her a week, if she was careful.  _

_ After a few more minutes of waiting, Nora watched the baker finally stop searching for her, walking back to his booth. She sighed, getting up and stretching her sore limbs; she’d had to do a lot of running these past few weeks. _

_ She hopped off the building’s roof, sliding down one of the exterior pipes. Then she walked backed into the streets, blending into the sea of people in the marketplace, keeping her head low, even though everyone was almost double her size. Her mother had taught her not to draw attention towards herself; it was better to stay out of trouble with the Union.  _

_ Apartment buildings and shops loomed over her as she walked through the city, late morning light reflecting off of the windows. There was a chill in the air that bit at her cheeks; Nora wrapped her thin sweater tighter around herself. _

_ She walked for a little while more, past the factories and the slums, until she arrived at her destination; the garbage disposal plant. Where all of the city’s waste was kept until they brought it down to earth. _

_ Nora had learned how to scavenge through the junkyard, to find valuables among the trash. Old holoscreen parts, power cores, rusted pots and broken plates, scraps of metal and plastic; they weren’t worth much, but hopefully she would find a few things good enough to sell. _

_ She climbed over the chain fence that had  _ **_KEEP OUT: CITY PROPERTY_ ** _ written on the locked doors, and into the scrapyards. The landscape was a sea of gray and brown; in front of her were dozens of giant piles of garbage, so big they were almost hills. Nora covered her nose with the collar of her tattered shirt; the smell was so strong she felt she was going to pass out. She stepped down from the fence, the worn soles of her shoes crunching against the litter and junk. _

_ She dug through the piles, tossing aside food wrappers and rusting cans, trying to find anything worth selling, when her eyes spotted what looked like a small airship engine sitting on top of another hill. _

_ Nora grinned.  _ Jackpot.

_ She made her way to the engine, passing over the junk-filled hills until she reached it. It was definitely an older model; new engines were much smaller than this. She used a rusty screwdriver to open the hatch, reach through the wires and pull out the power core. Dammit, it was dead. She threw the useless power core back into the garbage.  _

_ But, perhaps there were other engine parts she could salvage. _

_ Nora spent the next hour or two taking apart the old engine, greased-stained fingers pulling out wires and bolts. When all of the engine’s pieces had been taken apart, she decided to take the air compressor, energy distributor, and a cooling fan. _

_ Nora put her findings in her plastic bag, making sure they weren’t touching the food she had stolen. Then, she began her trek back to the market. _

_ By the time she arrived at the marketplace, it was late afternoon; the sun had begun to get lower and lower, and the crowds had grown too. _

_ Nora called out to the passersby, trying to get people’s attention and sell the engine parts. _

_ “Excuse me!” she said to a woman walking past her, grease in her hair, and wearing a fraying brown jumpsuit. The woman looked like a mechanic. “Are you in need of an inexpensive, good quality air compressor? Well, I have one right here!” _

_ The woman eyed her skeptically; Nora could tell she didn’t quite believe her. “How much for it?” _

_ “Only 10 credits!” _

_ The mechanic gestured to her bag. Nora took out the air compressor she had found, hoping the woman didn’t notice the bent metal and rust. “Brand new and in great condition, perfect for if your airship breaks down and you need a spare part.” _

_ The woman sighed. “Sorry, I’m gonna pass. Take care though, kid.” _

_ As the mechanic began to walk away, Nora called. “Wait!” _

_ She turned around. _

_ “How about 5 credits?” Nora tried.  _

_ The lady put a handful of credits in Nora’s palm. “Fine.” _

_ She grinned, handing the woman the air compressor. “Thanks!” _

_ Nora spent the rest of the day trying to sell the other two parts. She ended up with 11 credits in total; not a lot, but enough to survive. Maybe she could even find a cheap inn to stay at for a night; it would be nice to sleep indoors. _

_ Nora climbed up to the rooftop of another building; it had been a long day, and she needed to rest for a minute. She reached into her bag and ripped off a piece of the grain bun, shoveling it into her mouth. So good. _

_ All of a sudden, she heard a rustling noise behind her. Nora whipped around. “Who’s there?” _

_ A small kid walked away from the chimney they had been hiding behind. It was a girl, probably around Nora’s age, with white-blond hair and icy blue eyes. She wore a delicate lace dress, and even though it was dirited and tattered, Nora could tell it was expensive. _

_ The girl didn’t say anything, she only looked longingly at the food in Nora’s hands. _

_ “How long have you been hiding there?’ Nora asked. _

_ “A few days, maybe. I’m not sure. Walking is too tiring.” she answered in a hoarse, quiet voice. _

_ Nora hesitated, before offering the girl a piece of the bread.  _

_ The girl snatched it and finished the bread in seconds, almost as if she was scared that Nora was going to take it away. _

_ “Thank you,” she said. _

_ “Don’t worry about it.” Nora responded, “What’s your name?” _

_ “Weiss.” _

_ “I’m Nora. What’re you doing here?” _

_ “I ran away,” Weiss whispered. "I couldn't live there any more." _

_ "Live where?" Nora asked, handing the girl another piece of bread. _

_ "What about you? Why are you here?" Weiss asked instead. _

_ Nora bit her lip, as the memories came flooding back. _

_ The sound of a gunshot as Ren's body hit the floor. _

_ The wail of the sirens and flashing red lights. _

_ The explosion that killed everyone and destroyed her home. _

_ Her own never-ending screams. _

_ Nora was shaking. She took deep breaths, telling herself to push her feelings away, push it all away. _

_ "My mom died." was all Nora said to the strange girl. "I've been living out here on my own ever since." _

_ "Oh," Weiss said, then paused. "How do you do it?" _

_ "Do what?" _

_ "Survive. Out here, on the streets." _

_ Nora managed a smile. "If you want, I can show you." _

Now, ten years later, Nora was back on Mantle.

Even after being there for almost two months, it still felt weird, walking past the same buildings and landmarks she’d known so well as a child. It felt weird being back on the city she’d worked so hard to leave.

Nora turned the corner to arrive at another street filled with shops, bars, and other businesses. She stopped in front of a small two-story building, with a sign that read  **The Ederne Inn** . She opened the door, and heard the familiar bell ring as she stepped inside.

There weren’t that many customers in the lobby that afternoon, only a few people sitting at the wooden tables or booths, some eating, others scrolling on their holoscreens. Dim sunlight shone through grimy windows, as muffled music played from a small speaker in the corner of the room. Nora made her way to a door at the back, and opened it. Her boss was sitting at her desk.

“Did you get what I asked for?” Elm said, adjusting her short brown ponytail.

“Yep,” Nora responded, taking out the items she’d bought at the marketplace. “A bottle of cleaner, new light bulbs, some tomatoes, and dried parsley.”

“Alright. Well, the windows need cleaning, and so do the floors upstairs, so you can put that new cleaner to use, and bring the parsley and tomatoes to the kitchen. And make sure to switch out those light bulbs.”

“Okay,” Nora said with a small sigh, picking up the items and beginning to walk out of Elm’s office.

“Oh, and Fria? One more thing.”

Nora turned around. “Yeah?”

“The lady in room 4 just left this morning, so I’m going to need you to clean the room out for the next customer.”

“Got it.”

Nora left the office, and after putting away the items Elm had asked her to, she walked up the creaky staircase, and gathered cleaning supplies from the small closet at the top of the landing. Then, she began to spray the artificial wood floors, and wipe them with a cloth.

She worked fairly quickly, and in around an hour, Nora had managed to finish the floors, windows, clean up room 4, and switch out the two broken light bulbs. It wasn’t the best job ever, but Elm paid her fair enough, and she had a place to sleep, so it was better than nothing. When Elm had hired her and asked for her name, Nora made up one, because Nora Valkyrie’s name was one of a pirate captain who had betrayed her crew, and died because of it. If she was going to start a new life for herself, she needed to keep a low profile.

As Nora was bringing the cleaning supplies back downstairs, she heard a bell ring come from room 7. 

She walked over, and knocked on the door. “Yeah, what is it?”

A tall, bearded man opened the door, brushing his hair out of his face. “Can I get something to eat?”

Nora sighed. “Sure, what do you want?”

“Uhh. . . a dried beef and mustard sandwich, with fried potatoes.”

“No problem. I'll bring it up in a few minutes."

"Oh, and a beer!" the man called as Nora walked away.

She arrived at the kitchen downstairs, grabbing ingredients for the man's order from the pantry. 

Nora piled canned vegetables, dried meat, and mustard onto a piece of bread, and put another slice of bread on top. She slid it onto a plate, and added salty fried potatoes on the side. Then, she grabbed a bottle of beer from the cooler, and exited the room.

She made her way through the lobby to get to the stairs; there were more people than there had been that morning; a dark-haired woman sat at a table with her child, a short man watched a holovid on his 'screen, and two men talked at the bar.

Nora turned around, looking at the two men again. They both looked familiar.

And then she knew why.

One of them was tall, with spiky red hair and a claw tattoo on his neck. The claw was the symbol of the infamous gang, the White Fang. One of the Tyrim's biggest rivals.

And that man was their leader, Adam Taurus.

Shit. What was he doing here? She couldn’t let him see her.

Nora glanced at the man beside Taurus. And she nearly dropped the plate she was holding.

Because no one other than  _ Lie Ren _ was talking with the White Fang leader.

Nora’s head spun. How was he here? Shouldn’t he be at a Union base or something? And why was he with Taurus? Did Ren know who he was?

She walked closer to them to get a better look. Maybe it wasn’t Ren, just someone who  _ looked  _ a lot like him. Besides, when she’d seen him last, Ren hadn’t had pink streaks in his hair. Or did he? No, no he didn’t. That wasn’t Ren. She’d let him escape, he was back with the Union now.

Ren turned his head, and looked at Nora with a puzzled expression. She froze.

“Nora?” he whispered.

Adam followed his gaze. Now they were both looking at her. She cursed internally.

“Ren,” Nora said. “What are you doing? Do you know who that is?”

“Well, look who it is.” Adam interrupted.

Nora ignored him. “Ren, you need to go. You shouldn’t be talking to him.”

Adam laughed. “And I thought you were dead! So Nora Valkyrie really did abandon the Tyrim, huh? 

“Nora, why are you here? What happened?” Ren asked.

“You think I’m just going to forget about your raid on the White Fang? You’re gonna pay for that!” Taurus said. 

Nora grabbed onto Ren’s hand. “We need to go.  _ Now _ .”


End file.
